


On the Waves of  Love

by mist2393



Category: Supernatural RPF
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, F/F, F/M, Fantasy AU, M/M, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-01-09
Updated: 2017-12-09
Packaged: 2018-01-08 03:43:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 18,857
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1127925
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mist2393/pseuds/mist2393
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jensen is a scientist living on a remote island with other scientists. When he's out in a boat with Jared, they get caught in a storm, but a strange creature saves them. Two months later, an eccentric new scientist comes to the island, bringing with him an air of mystery and a myriad of questions.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Um, not much to tell you guys right now. This is unbeta'd, so all mistakes are mine. If you want to ask me questions, or find more information about this fic, all information for this fic is here: 
> 
> http://noskiobezyanyshlyapa.tumblr.com/tagged/for%20my%20fic
> 
> And I also ask for advice/help/input if you wanna feel helpful. You can also send any asks or anything if you want to talk to me. I'm there a lot so...yeah. Enjoy the fic.
> 
> The style of this prologue is highly experimental, so sorry if it's really weird. It's supposed to be choppy and stuff to simulate how Jensen's feeling during the chapter. Hope it works out. The rest of the fic will be my traditional style.

~Present~

Water was everywhere. In his lungs, his eyes, his ears, tossing him around, lifting him up from below and pelting down on him from above and hitting him from every side. He couldn’t move, couldn’t see, couldn’t even scream anymore. He was doing everything he could to stay above water and failing. That was when he felt something rough brush his leg, and the terror set even deeper, into his very soul, as he realized that whether he drowned or was eaten by whatever was in the water, this was where it was going to end.

~4 Hours Earlier~

“Hey jackass, hurry up,” Jared called as he loaded a cooler into the boat. Jensen rolled his eyes as he walked over carrying a suitcase.

“Next time I’ll let you carry the heavy suitcase and I’ll take the small little cooler,” he replied, loading the suitcase in. Jared shoved him playfully as he walked by to fill out the form on the docks. None of them understood the point of the forms; they were their own supervisors, but if they didn’t fill them out, Felicia would lock them out of the lab again as punishment.

With that done, Jared climbed onto the boat, followed by Jensen. Technically, they should have had a three-person crew, but it was a four day round trip to and from the mainland and no one else could be spared for that long, not until they got some new personnel. Jensen took his place at the helm, starting the motor while Jared untied the boat from the dock. Within minutes they were off.

~Present~

“Jensen!” Jared screamed, looking over the side of the boat for any sight of his coworker. He fell to his knees as the boat was rocked by another wave. The rope wrapped around his waist pulled tight, and he let out a grunt.  He stood back up slowly, looking around again, calling out his coworker’s name again and again until his voice went hoarse.

He stopped when the boat suddenly jerked, and all movement stopped. He looked around in confusion. The storm was still raging overhead, and the waves were still pounding the side of the boat, but the boat wasn’t moving at all. Suddenly the boat jerked again, and there was a sound as though someone had taken the call of a whale and magnified it by a thousand. The entire boat shook with the sound, causing Jared to lose balance and fall to the floor.

 A few seconds later the waves were knocking it around again, though now it seemed as though the waves were pushing it in a constant direction. That was crazy though. He could see that the waves were still as wild and directionless as before, and Jared himself certainly wasn’t doing any steering. There was another whale call, and Jared was positive he saw a fin break the surface before splashing down again, the resultant wave sending his boat rushing towards the direction of the island. That couldn’t be true either though. The fin had appeared to be the size of a humpback whale, which would mean that whatever it belonged to would have to be several times larger than a blue whale, which simply wasn’t possible. Jared had learned that his first week of grad school.

~2 Hours Earlier~

“Those clouds don’t look good,” Jared remarked, standing beside Jensen, who was still at the wheel. Jensen looked up at the clouds, which were steel grey.

“Yeah,” he agreed.  “I’m going to try to steer around them.” He consulted the gps on the dashboard, ensuring that the detour wouldn’t take them too off course. Their ship wasn’t big enough to handle storms like that, but they also didn’t have enough supplies to last them through too long of a detour.  Jared nodded, going below deck to work on latching everything down just in case.

~30 Minutes Ago~

Despite their best efforts, Jared and Jensen weren’t able to make it around the storm clouds. As soon as the rain hit, Jared offered Jensen a rope and they both tied themselves to the boat, as per protocol. That way, if one of them was swept overboard, they would still be near enough to the boat to climb back in, and wouldn’t get washed away.

They managed to stay on course for another ten minutes after that until the waves and the wind hit. Their boat was shoved around and wave after wave hit the deck. Neither of them were strangers to this; all employees at the Jogabi Research Center were required to sit on a boat in a simulation room while the boat was sent through exactly these conditions. That didn’t make it any less unpleasant, however.

They held on as best they could while still steering the boat through the storm. Jared locked himself in place behind Jensen, using his taller stature to block as much of the wind and rain as possible so Jensen could see what he was doing. In this way, they were able to stay in control for another ten minutes before everything went to Hell.

A particularly large wave hit the boat, sending Jared flying into Jensen, knocking Jensen off his feet and to the ground. Jared was the first to start getting up before another wave crashed over them, knocking Jared back over and sending Jensen rolling across the deck. More and more waves kept crashing, and Jensen was pressed against the railing. Suddenly the cooler was flying at Jensen, and he ducked just in time for it to miss him and smash against the railing, destroying the only barrier between Jensen and the sea and sending him overboard. In the process, he became tangled in the rope and the only way he could free himself was to cut it. He knew it was risky, but it was either that or suffocate. Almost as soon as he did it, he realized what a mistake it had been as he was instantly swept away from the boat, losing sight of it and Jared.

~Present~

Jensen felt the same roughness on his leg, followed by something that was almost featherlike. He struggled, starting to swim. He didn’t know or care where he was swimming to, as long as he got away from whatever it was he kept feeling. He made it about ten meters before he felt himself become too tired. He tried his best to stay awake, stay afloat, but it was no use. He was dragged under again and again, no longer able to get above long enough to take a breath. He was dragged under one last time before his world went dark. The last thing he felt was the feeling of something rough underneath him.

~

The next time Jensen woke up, it was light out, and there was solid ground beneath him. He rolled onto his side and coughed a few times before sitting up weakly. He was startled by the sound of a blue whale, though it seemed to be coming from everywhere and nowhere and two inches in front of him all at once. He looked out at the sea in front of him; he thought he saw a…dragon? No. He must still be dreaming. He shook his head and fell back, losing consciousness again.

~

“Jensen!” Jared called, racing to Jensen’s side and kneeling beside him. His boat had washed up on shore the night before, and he had already spread the news that Jensen had been lost. The fact that he washed up on _this_ beach, on _their_ island, was a miracle. Jensen stirred and looked up at Jared, managing a weak smile.

“Saw a dragon, Jare,” he muttered.


	2. Arrival

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so this is completely unbeta'd and I read the first sentence and already hate it and if I reread it too much I'm likely to delete the entire thing and I like the next chapter. Anyway, if Misha seems inexplicably drawn/friendly with Jensen, it's on purpose because of reasons. Jensen is also meant to seem a bit more stand-offish, also because of reasons (aka it'll be more fun when they finally do the do). 
> 
> This chapter's a bit short, but the next one is extra long to make up for it (this was the best cut-off point or the chapter would have been super long).

~2 Months Later~

Jensen was on the porch of the small house Jared and his wife shared, talking and laughing with them, when Felicia and Osric pulled into the dock, a stranger on the boat with them. Felicia hopped off the boat first, tying it up and grinning at the other two as they got off as well. Jared was the first to get up and walk over to greet the stranger, and Jensen was impressed that the man didn’t seem at all intimidated by the other’s size; even Jensen had been when they’d first met.

Jensen finally stood as well, making his way over and staying a few feet away from the dock. He hadn’t been able to go near water since the storm, even though logically he knew nothing was going to happen to him on the dock of their island. The stranger finally walked past Jared and stopped when he saw Jensen.

“Hi there,” he greeted, smiling. “I’m Misha Collins, I just got hired on as a cetologist here. It’s quite the island.”

“H-hello,” Jensen replied, somewhat taken aback. Misha grinned, patting his shoulder before moving on to greet Gen, who had come to stand a few feet behind Jensen. Jared walked past Jensen to go get Misha’s attention.

“Come on, I’ll show you around,” the giant offered. Misha smiled and nodded.

“Thanks.” He smiled one last time at Gen and shook her hand before following Jared. Jensen hurried to follow. He and Jared were partners, after all. It was only fair that they help the new guy out together. Misha smiled at him as Jensen approached, and for a moment, Jensen thought he saw a hint of recognition and almost fondness in the other’s expression, though that couldn’t be true as they had never met before.

“I’m Jensen, by the way,” he told the other, holding out a hand. He had been taught proper manners, despite his earlier performance. Misha grinned, taking Jensen’s hand and shaking it. Jared smiled as he led then to Jensen’s house.

“Jensen, you and Misha are going to have to be roomies for a while,” he told them. Jensen frowned. He and Jared had lived together until Jared and Gen had gotten married, and Amanda had moved in with Felicia to give the married couple room. Since then, Jensen had lived alone, and had gotten used to all the advantages of that.

“Why?” he finally asked, more harshly than he meant to.

“The boss wants him to be on our team so we can go out and examine the reef again, and it makes the most sense for him to live with you while he gets settled.” Jared placed a hand on Misha’s shoulder. “Ignore him. He’s just jealous that he’s not the prettiest man on the island anymore.”

Jensen shoved Jared lightly as he walked past, heading towards his front door. Misha followed, looking forward to seeing the house. The door opened into the main room, which consisted of a living room, kitchen, and small office area. There were three doors leading off of it, a bathroom and two bedrooms. Jensen walked over to one of the doors, closer to the front door and with a window facing the street. Misha frowned as he looked out the window.

“I suppose, if all I’m doing is sleeping, this will be fine,” he remarked, still frowning at the window. Jensen raised an eyebrow at his expression, but shrugged.

“Well, it’s all you’re getting,” he told Misha, who simply nodded as he walked around the rest of the house. He went to the kitchen, looking around curiously, poking at the cupboards.

“Come on,” Jensen said after a few minutes. “Jared’s waiting for us.” Misha turned to him and nodded, closing the cupboard he had opened and walking over to Jensen, smiling as he followed him outside. Jared walked over to meet up with them from where he’d been talking to Felicia.

“We’ll show you down to the beach, and then we have to head to the lab,” he told Misha, smiling.

“Do we have to take him to the beach?” Jensen complained. He preferred staying away from the docks and the beaches as much as possible, and he’d already been to the docks once today. Misha looked over at him.

“What’s wrong with the beach?” he asked, furrowing his brow. Jensen shifted uncomfortably, looking away. Jared patted his friend’s back.

“We got caught in a storm a couple months ago. Jensen’s been nervous around water since then,” he explained. Jensen scoffed, looking at Misha.

“I almost drowned and now I’m aquaphobic,” he stated bluntly. Misha nodded, licking his lips.

“I’m sorry to hear that,” he told Jensen, smiling gently. Jensen glanced at him before looking away. He had half-expected Misha to make fun of him, or make some comment about a hydrographer who’s afraid of water. None of the people on the island had, but they were like a family, and they knew what was crossing the line. Misha was the first new person to move to the island in years, and Jensen didn’t know what type of person he was well enough to know he wouldn’t be that kind of guy.

When they arrived at the beach, Misha walked ahead of them and straight into the water, ignoring the fact that he was getting his clothes soaked. He smiled as the waves crashed into him and felt the sand being dragged from underneath him. Jensen stayed well away from the water, watching Misha nervously. Jared stayed next to his friend, amusement clear in his eyes as he watched the newcomer. Misha suddenly plunged his hand into the waves, pulling out a crab, which he brought up to eye level. Jared and Jensen could see his lips moving, though they couldn’t tell if he was speaking out loud of simply mouthing words. Eventually, he put the crab down and returned to Jared and Jensen, grinning widely.

“We’re going to the lab now?” he asked.

“We’re going to my place first for lunch. That way we can walk down with Felicia and Osric and start our shift after the tour,” Jared replied, shaking his head. 


	3. The Tour

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so technically I haven't finished the next chapter yet and usually I like to be one ahead but I'm almost done with it and I'm making good progress so you're getting this chapter.
> 
> Also I had to do a shit-ton of research about dusky dolphins for this chapter and the next one. Did you know they have homosexual sex?
> 
> unbeta'd, as usual.
> 
> tumblr is noskiobezyanyshlyapa if you want news about this fic or to ask me questions or just to follow a Misha rp blog.

They arrived at Jared’s house, and he let them in before going straight to the kitchen to start making them lunch. Misha and Jensen followed more slowly, Misha taking in Jared’s house while Jensen walked a bit behind him, not quite trusting Misha yet.

“Do you have any allergies?” Jared asked as Misha walked into the kitchen. The other man looked up, shaking his head.

“Nope. I’ll eat anything.” He leaned against the wall, watching as Jensen walked in and went to the refrigerator to get three bottles of water, one of which he tossed to Misha, handing the second to Jared and keeping the third for himself. Misha opened his bottle and started drinking, looking around as he did.

“Your house is bigger than Jensen’s,” he remarked. Jared glanced at him from the sandwich he was working on.

“Jensen’s house was one of the first built, back when we were only supposed to be here for a few months, maybe a year. This one was built more recently, after the boss decided to have us here more permanently.”

Misha nodded as he took in the information, starting to look around again. Jensen leaned forward to talk to Jared without Misha hearing.

“Why does it feel like he’s studying _us_?” he asked. Jared glanced at him.

“He’s new here. He’s just trying to get a feel for how things are.” He finished the sandwich he was working on and started working on another one. “Maybe you should try being nicer. You are going to be living with him, after all.”

Jensen rolled his eyes, taking the finished sandwich to eat while he watched Misha out of the corner of his eye. Misha was looking at the books on the bookshelf, blinking at them as though he’d never seen a book before. Jensen walked over to stand next to him.

“You look as though this bookshelf has the answers to the universe,” he remarked. Misha looked up at him.

“Maybe it does. Maybe it holds all the answers to _our_ perceived universe, the things we can see and feel, and maybe that’s the same thing.” He pulled a book off the shelf at random, flipping through it curiously for a moment. “Maybe that’s what they mean when they say the universe is always expanding. Our perception of the world around us is expanding, and with it, so is the universe.”

Jensen gave Misha an incredulous look before walking away to put his plate in the kitchen sink. Jared held out a plate, and Misha walked over to take it, nibbling at his sandwich carefully. He watched as Jared started making his own sandwich, taking in the different parts of the process. Jared ate his sandwich and glanced up at Misha and Jensen.

“Are you guys ready to go?” he asked. The other two nodded, and Jared grinned. “Great. Let’s go meet with Felicia and Osric and head down to the lab.” The three of them walked outside and to the road leading to the lab from town. They only had to wait a few minutes before Felicia and Osric were joining them. They both grinned when they spotted Misha, and Felicia fell into step beside him as they all started walking towards the lab.

“So how’re the boys treating you?” she asked, looking up at him.

“Well, Jared’s fun. I get the feeling Jensen doesn’t like me though.” He glanced over his shoulder at where Jensen was walking behind him before focusing on Felicia again.

“Don’t worry about it, Mish. You’re the first newbie we’ve had since this project started, and Jensen doesn’t take well to strangers. Just make him something yummy and tell him to get over it.” She shrugged, patting Misha’s shoulder. The taller man chuckled, looking around as they walked.

 

The walk took them about forty-five minutes, and as soon as they arrived at the lab, Felicia and Osric left them to get to work. Jared took over to give Misha the tour. Just inside the front door was a small reception area, which had been turned into an office for Rob and Richard, whose jobs were mostly to report to the boss and to deal with any personnel issues. Through a thick steel door was a room that obviously acted as a closet. On the wall to the left hung five pairs of ID cards, lab coats, and scuba gear.

“These are grouped by partnership. Your ID card and lab coat will come in tomorrow, and we should have scuba gear for you by the end of the week. For now, if we need to, you can use Jensen’s scuba gear,” Jared told Misha, who nodded as he processed the information. Jensen glared at Jared before pushing past Misha to take his ID card. He pushed by Jared to go through a door on the other end of the hallway and disappear into the facility. Jared sighed and followed, giving Misha an apologetic look as he passed. Misha bit his lip as he followed, wondering what he had done to make Jensen dislike him so strongly.

 

The room on the other side of the closet was large, about the same size as the entirety of Jensen’s cabin. On one side was a small kitchen area, and the rest of the room was full of tables, most of which looked like they’d never been used. Jared stopped halfway across the room and turned to Misha.

“Originally, when the boss was having this built, there were going to be at least a hundred people working here ‘round the clock. It was only after he’d built the entire thing that he realized not many people would willingly maroon themselves on a deserted island with no one but their coworkers for any length of time.”

“It does take a certain kind of person to choose to live here,” Misha agreed, chuckling. He looked up at Jared. “What made you come out here?”

“Jensen and I were working for the boss before he came up with this idea. Most of us did. Only Gen, Felicia, and Osric came later,” Jared explained.  He started walking again, heading through a set of swinging doors into a long lab, where Osric and Felicia were arguing over results of a test which they ran. They both stopped and raised a hand in greeting, which Jared, Jensen, and Misha all returned before continuing on.

 

The last room in the building looked like the room at the top of an observatory, except instead of opening to allow a telescope through, this one opened into the ocean. Two long holes in the floor led to the giant door in the wall, which at the moment was closed. When opened, the holes would fill with sea water, allowing the scientists to bring small specimens, such as fish or dolphins, into the room for study. Almost a quarter of the room was occupied by an in-ground tank which continued on the other side of the wall. In the tank was a dusky dolphin, the top half of its fin missing. Along the back wall, facing the wall which opened to the sea, was a line of windows, through which could be seen an office/observation area.

Misha walked over to the tank, frowning at the sight of the dorsal fin. He knelt down next to it, dipping his hand into the water, and almost immediately the dolphin swam over to look at him, letting out a chirp. Misha smiled, resting his hand on the dolphin’s head. Jensen and Jared looked at each other for a moment before Jensen walked over.

“She got swept up in a storm a couple months ago, ended up trapped in an overturned boat, and when she tried to get out, she tore the top of her fin off. She’s been here ever since,” he told Misha. The older man lifted his head, looking over at Jensen.

“Was this the same storm you and Jared got caught in?” he asked. For a split second, his eyes filled with guilt, but he managed to tamp it down almost immediately.

“Yeah,” Jensen replied after a moment, looking at the dolphin again. “She’s healing, but she refuses to leave us now. We’ve tried releasing her, and she just comes back and stays in the well there.” He pointed to one of the holes in the floor. Misha nodded, looking at the dolphin as well.

“That can happen sometimes,” he remarked. “Especially with dolphins. They’re the most group oriented of the cetaceans.”

“I take it you specialize in cetaceans, then?” Jensen questioned. Misha looked at him for a moment before nodding.

“Yes. Yes, that’s what I specialize in,” he told the other man. He grinned before turning back to the dolphin and bowing his head. “It’s so tragic when these guys get hurt like this. Less than a thousand years ago, this would never have happened to them.”

Jensen raised an eyebrow, turning to make a derisive remark to Jared only to find that the taller man had gone into the observation room during their conversation. He turned back to see Misha whispering to the dolphin.

“Great,” he mumbled to himself. “They’ve stuck me with the crazy one.”

Misha stiffened against the glass, letting out a breath before turning to face Jensen.

“So where to now?” he asked. Jensen shrugged.

“Now we start our shift. Jared’s got a fish he thinks is a new species that he’s studying; I’ve got some maps to work on. You can do whatever you want, since you don’t have any ongoing projects and none of us are cetologists so there’s nothing any of us need your help with.” Jensen gestured at the dolphin. “No one’s been able to really examine her yet, if you want to do that.”

Misha looked down at the dolphin, smiling before nodding at Jensen. He reached up to start unbuttoning his shirt, the process looking slow and clumsy as he worked at it.

“You know we have locker rooms to get changed in, right?” Jensen asked, raising an eyebrow. Misha stared at him for a moment, appearing to be processing the statement. He finally nodded.

“Alright. Can you show me where it is?” He dropped his hands, smiling at Jensen. The younger man sighed but nodded.

“Come on.” He turned and led Misha back the way they had come to a door leading off the entrance room. He grabbed his wetsuit on the way, handing it over. “There’s no way you’d fit into Jared’s, so you can use mine for now.”

“Thanks,” the other man murmured as he grabbed the wetsuit. He disappeared into the locker room and changed quickly, walking back out to find Jensen still waiting for him. They walked in silence back to the observation room, where Jensen left Misha and joined Jared in the observation room in the back, where there were also several computers and enough mapping equipment for ten people. Misha watched him go before turning to the dolphin.

“Okay, kiddo, I’m going to come in now. Don’t do anything crazy.” He walked to the edge of the tank, making sure the dolphin was well away from the side before diving in.


	4. Dolphins

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm a little iffy about my characterization of Jared and Jensen in this chapter, and I know the conversations all get a bit repetitive, but I swear the next chapter will be better. Also, Misha's in a wet suit for this entire chapter, so what could go wrong?
> 
> Um, also, there's some weird transitions, but this chapter was written in several parts in several different places in my notebook and I tried my best to make it flow right but I'm not overly sure how I did.

Misha burst out of the water, grinning as he splashed himself. He felt far more at home in the water than he did on land. He softened as he turned to the dolphin, swimming closer and holding out a hand. The porpoise had fled to the other side of the tank at the intrusion, but she slowly swam forward, eventually pressing her head against Misha’s hand.

“Hey there, beautiful,” Misha whispered, rubbing the dolphin’s head as he swam closer. “I’m so sorry, little one. This should never have happened to you.”

The dolphin chirped, pulling away to swim a few lazy circles around Misha. He grinned before flipping upside down and diving under. The dolphin followed, smacking Misha with her tail gently. Misha smacked back playfully before swimming away, lifting himself up onto the floor of the room in one fluid motion. He kicked his legs in the water, sticking his tongue out at the dolphin.

He slid back in a few seconds later, going over to the dolphin and hugging her. The dolphin curled around Misha slightly while he looked her over for any other pressing injuries or illnesses. He murmured to her as he worked, making sure to check every inch of her slim body.

 

Meanwhile, Jensen watched from the observation room. At first he had pretended to be working on a map, but when Misha had started playing with the dolphin, he’d given up all pretenses. Jared walked over to stand next to him, following his gaze.

“You in love, Jen?” he asked teasingly. Jensen turned to glare at him.

“No. Have you seen him? He’s insane.” He pushed past Jared to go to a previous map he’d made.

“He’s not that bad. I mean, he’s a little odd, sure, but he’s got a good heart. I mean, look at him.” Jared waved an arm towards the tank. Jensen glanced up in time to see Misha stick his tongue out at the dolphin.

“He’s a five-year-old who doesn’t realize that fish can’t talk!” Jensen exclaimed, throwing his arms up. He looked at Jared. “Are you sure he can’t live with you?”

“I think it might be a little awkward for him to share a bed with a married couple. My house only has the one bedroom, remember?” Jared sighed. “Give him a chance, at least. Look at Felicia and Osric. Neither of them are exactly normal either, and you’ve never had a problem with them.”

“He just…rubs me the wrong way, Jared.  I mean, I didn’t even know the boss was hiring, and he usually tells us weeks in advanced if we’re going to be getting a new scientist. How do we even know he’s legit?”

Jared looked over at the tank, where Misha was examining the dolphin.

“None of us have ever been able to examine her, Jensen. He’s come in and within ten minutes he’s got her holding still. And he clearly knows what he’s looking for.” Jared rested a hand on Jensen’s shoulder. “We’ll keep an eye on him, and if you see anything suspicious, I promise you I’ll help you investigate. But for now, just try to accept him a bit.”

Jensen sighed but nodded, going to get back to work.

“Fine,” he agreed, his voice harsh.

 

Several minutes later, Misha walked into the room, still in the wetsuit and dripping wet. He smiled at them.

“The dolphin is pregnant,” he told them. “About six months along, so she has another six months until she gives birth. She’s ten, by the way.”

“Okay, see, this is why we needed a cetologist,” Jared remarked, grinning. He handed Misha a folder, in which was what information they’d managed to get about the dolphin so far. Misha looked at it for a moment, blinking, before looking at Jared and Jensen. He blushed faintly, shifting.

“I uh…I can’t read English,” he admitted quietly. Jensen slammed the compass he’d been using down and turned to Misha.

“What?” he demanded. Misha licked his lips.

“I can’t read or write English. I can only speak it,” Misha murmured. Jensen took a step forward.

“How the hell did you get hired if you can’t even read or write?” he asked, walking closer as he spoke. Misha took a step back, glancing at Jared for help, but the other was watching him suspiciously. Before Misha could say anything else, Felicia walked into the room, frowning at what she saw.

“Misha, is everything alright?” she asked, resting a hand on Misha’s arm. Misha looked at her and nodded.

“Did you know about this, Felicia?” Jensen pointed at Misha as though that explained what he was talking about.

“Whatever’s wrong, I’m sure it’s no biggie,” she remarked. She looked at the folder Misha was still holding. “Is it something in the file?”

“Misha can’t read or write,” Jared told her, his voice hard. “And he was just about to tell us how he got hired.”

“I hired him,” Felicia told them. “He was floating in the ocean and we almost ran him over, so we picked him up. He nearly had a panic attack when we suggested taking him to the mainland, and he said he was a cetologist, so I hired him. I called the boss man and he agreed. So he’s been hired.”

Jared relaxed at her words, stepping towards Misha and patting his arm.

“If Felicia’s vouching for you, then I trust you. We’ll just have to teach you, but for now just tell me what you want me to write, okay?” Jared took the file from Misha, smiling at him.

“Thanks,” Misha replied, smiling back. He ignored Jensen’s clear disapproval while he and Jared went to sit down at one of the desks in the room. Felicia turned to Jensen.

“Can I see one of your maps?” she asked, holding up a file. “I have to check something.”

“Yeah, sure, which one do you need?” Jensen asked, leading Felicia back to his pile of printed and hand-drawn maps. Felicia looked over Jensen’s shoulder to pick out the one she needed.

“Why are you so hard on Misha?” she asked quietly, glancing towards where Misha and Jared were sitting.

“Why do you trust him?” Jensen countered, indifferent to whether Misha heard that.

“You didn’t see the state he was in when we found him, Jen. I thought he was going to die for a while.” Felicia frowned. “I couldn’t just leave him there to die, and we didn’t have enough fuel to make it back to the mainland. And then he started talking and we realized that he was a cetologist and it was perfect. We’ve been needing one for a while now.”

“He’s pretty…weird.” Jensen looked up at Felicia, who rolled her eyes.

“In case you haven’t noticed, we’re all pretty weird. We live on an island with no one but our coworkers to keep us company.” She patted his shoulder. “You should give him a chance. I bet you’ll see you’re being unfair.”

 

Misha and Jared worked on the report while Jensen and Felicia talked. Misha reacted slightly to Jensen's insults, his shoulders and back tensing. Jared noticed this, and he rested a hand on the man’s shoulder.

“Ignore him,” he suggested. “He’s just shy, and he shows his shyness by being an über dick.”

“I get the feeling you guys aren’t used to new people,” Misha replied, looking at Jared.

“We’ve had two waves of workers. Jensen, Ty, Sebastian, Richard, Rob, and I all came first, five years ago. Felicia, Osric, Amanda, and Gen came about two years ago. You’re the first stranger we’ve seen since, and they usually send people in pairs and give us plenty of warning.” Misha took that in, nodding.

“Sorry for messing everything up,” he mumbled. Jared squeezed his shoulder.

“Not your fault. Felicia said you were in the water when she found you. You’re lucky you didn’t die,” he told him. “Besides, Felicia wouldn’t have brought you in if she didn’t think you’d fit. You just have to give Jensen time.”

“Alright. Thanks, Jared.” Misha smiled at him before looking at the folder, frowning as he tried to decipher the writing. Jared took the hint and got to work.


	5. Steak and Sea Monsters

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took me forever. Between my English courses and my observation hours for my education course, I've been kept super busy, but now here this is. I already have plans for the next chapter, and things are starting to settle down (she says as finals week approaches) but seriously, my observation hours are nearly done which will free up my days considerably. 
> 
> Anyway, I know Jensen acts slightly different in this than he has in past chapters, but there's a reason for it.
> 
> Also I'm aware that it's pretty short, but that's because that was the best place for me to end it, and there's only so long that I can have Jensen and Misha talk about these things before it gets weird.
> 
> Beta'd by aliaxiusto.

For the rest of their shift, Jared and Misha took down any notes Misha made about the dolphin while Jensen worked on a map. Once it was over, they walked back to town together; Jared left them outside their house to go home to Gen. Jensen led the way inside.

“I’m going to take a shower, Jensen,” Misha stated, walking towards his bedroom. Jensen nodded, waving him away.

“I’ll be getting dinner ready. We got steaks in today,” he informed him. Misha tilted his head slightly before nodding.

“Okay. I am feeling really dry right now. A shower will be nice.” He disappeared into his room, and it wasn’t long before Jensen heard the shower turn on. He wondered at the other’s words, but let it go and went to work in the kitchen.

By the time Misha got out of the shower, Jensen was already sitting and eating. Misha joined him at the table, poking at the steak curiously.

“What’s this?” he asked, looking at Jensen. The other scientist raised an eyebrow.

“You’ve never seen steak?” He pointed at Misha’s food. “Try it.”

“I mostly eat seaweed and kelp,” Misha explained. He cut a piece off and popped it in his mouth, chewing slowly.

“How d’you like it?” Jensen asked after a moment.

“It’s good,” Misha told him. “I like it.”

“Most people do,” Jensen replied, grinning despite himself. They ate in relative silence, Misha focusing mostly on eating the steak. Jensen caught himself watching Misha more than once, and he told himself that it was because he was trying to figure the guy out. He was such a strange person, and seemed so distant from their culture, and yet he didn’t look or sound as if he was from any of the countries on the mainland. His accent almost seemed like a more formal version of the English spoken in Canada or the Northern United States.

After dinner, Misha helped clean up before disappearing into his bedroom. As soon as the door was closed, Jensen went to his desk and pulled a large file folder out of one of the drawers. He spread the contents of the file out on the surface of the desk. It was an amalgamation of information on sea creatures around the world, including dragons. So far, he hadn’t found anything on dragons in their area, nor had there been many sea creature sightings. After a while, Jensen became aware of someone watching him. He turned around, jumping when saw Misha standing in the doorway, watching him.

“Something up?” Jensen asked, trying to hide the papers on his desk.

“You’re researching sea monsters?” Misha asked in return, walking over. “I thought American scientists believed sea monsters to be fictitious?”

Jensen frowned up at him.

“I thought you couldn’t read English,” he remarked. Misha pointed to a picture of the Loch Ness monster.

“I recognize that,” he told Jensen. “I’ve seen pictures of it.”

“And I suppose now you’re going to think I’m an idiot, right?” Jensen gave Misha a wary look, but the other just furrowed his brow.

“Why would I think that? Many people believe in sea monsters. I do.” Misha pulled over a chair from the table and sat next to Jensen. “Why are you looking this all up?”

“If I…told you that I was saved by a sea dragon, what would you do?” Jensen inquired, staring at his hands.

“I would say that you’re very lucky. It’s considered a sign of a pure heart to be saved by a dragon of the sea.” Misha smiled at him. “Do you believe a dragon saved you during the storm?”

“I’m not sure, but…I’m pretty sure I saw one after I washed up on shore, yeah. Everyone else here says it’s a result of the trauma of almost drowning, but I know what I saw.” Jensen looked down at the papers in front of him. A part of him didn’t understand why he was revealing so much to this virtual stranger, while the rest of him was happy to have someone to talk to about it that didn’t look at him like he was insane.

“I believe you,” Misha stated simply. “I’m sure you’ll be able to prove it eventually.”

“Yeah well, I haven’t found anything so far.” Jensen leaned back, rubbing his hands down his face. Misha rested his hand on Jensen’s shoulder.

“If there is a sea dragon around, I’m sure they’re probably doing their best to hide. Maybe you should stop looking in these old tales and start looking around for yourself.”

Jensen looked over at him, seeing the honesty in his eyes. He sighed and nodded.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right. Come on, we should both get some sleep. We have an early shift tomorrow.” He stood, patting Misha on the back before going into his room. He heard Misha’s door close, followed by the sound of running water in the bathtub. Jensen furrowed his brow as he listened. Misha had already taken a shower, so why was he running a bath? He wasn’t able to wonder for too long, since the sound of the running water mixed with his own exhaustion meant he fell asleep after only a few minutes.


	6. The Truth?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one took forever mostly because of finals, and then trying to get everything to actually sound like the people, and then it took forever to find someone to beta read (I wasn't happy with the original ending and I needed some help with it). This section in general is taking forever because I have no plans for it. Like, seriously, I have everything from the minute Jensen and Misha get together to the end of the story planned out in my head, but I cannot for the life of me figure out how to get Jensen and Misha together in the first place. I have a couple ideas, but not anything concrete enough to act as inspiration, so each chapter's been a struggle. The next chapter's already mostly written though, and I have good ideas for it, so it won't be long before that one's posted too.

Jensen was woken up the next morning by the sound of draining water and Misha’s voice coming through their shared wall, complaining about human skin. Jensen frowned as he listened, but decided to ignore it as he walked into his own bathroom to shower. He made it out into the main room in time to see Misha staring at the coffee machine with a furrowed brow. Jensen raised an eyebrow.

“Need some help?” he asked, walking over. Misha looked up at him.

“I have seen these before, and people drink from them in the morning, but I can’t figure out how it works.” Misha poked at it and jumped when the filter basket popped out. He gave Jensen a sheepish grin. “Oops. Didn’t…really mean to break it.”

Jensen laughed in spite of himself.

“It’s fine. That’s supposed to come out.” He stepped forward and grabbed the carafe, going to rinse it out in the sink. “I’ll make the coffee. Do you know how to make eggs?”

“I think it’s safe to assume I don’t know how to work any of your things,” Misha replied. He went to the fridge and opened the door, frowning. “Do you eat anything but meat?”

“Fresh vegetables don’t make it here well. We have some canned stuff in the pantry.” Jensen pointed to the closet just on the other side of the island. Misha went and opened that up, looking it over curiously.

“Your food is boring,” he declared. “I’m going to find us some good food later. There’s a bed of really tasty kelp not far from here. And I know a place to get good shrimp and clams.”

“If you want. It’s not always a good idea to go out by yourself though. Not even counting the storms, there’s sharks and other animals that can give you trouble if you don’t have someone else keeping an eye out.” Jensen reached around Misha and pulled out a box of Lucky Charms, pouring them both a bowl before putting the cereal away and turning to pour milk into the cereal. He handed one of the bowls to Misha, who looked at it for a moment.

“What’s this?” he finally asked. Jensen couldn’t help but smile.

“It’s cereal. We eat it all the time. Eat it.” Jensen took a bite of his own cereal, watching as Misha slowly did the same. The man’s face lit up and he finished the bowl quickly, licking his lips to catch the milk. Jensen looked away, swallowing and trying to ignore the way the view had affected him. As much as Jensen disliked the guy, _damn_ he had a nice tongue. Jensen shook himself and turned to start washing his bowl. Misha watched him for a moment, tilting his head.

“You sure wash your dishes a lot,” he stated, placing his bowl next to Jensen’s. Jensen looked over at him.

“We have to,” he replied. “If you don’t wash your dishes, they can grow bacteria and stuff. You don’t wash dishes where you’re from? Don’t you get sick?”

“We don’t…really use dishes,” Misha replied, shrugging. “And if we do use something to eat with, we toss it into the ocean. It’s usually just clam shells or something anyway.”

Jensen raised an eyebrow but shrugged and washed Misha’s dish while Misha poured them both coffee. He handed Jensen his mug and took a sip out of his own, making a face and deciding that he didn’t like coffee. Jensen saw his face and laughed, taking a sip of his own coffee. Misha narrowed his eyes at the other man before putting his mug down and turning to go into his bedroom, mumbling something about needing a shower. Jensen watched him for a moment before going to his desk, sitting down with his coffee and going through the files again. He was determined to figure out what it was that had saved him. Even if he never saw it again, he didn’t like the mystery, but so far he hadn’t seen any drawing anywhere that looked even a little bit like the dragon he had seen, if it was indeed a dragon. It had certainly looked like one. Jensen sighed and scrubbed his hands down his face.

Misha emerged from the shower half an hour later, dressed and ready to go, and Jensen went in to get dressed and ready as well. They walked down to the lab together, Jensen explaining that Jared was already there with Gen. Once their shift had started, Misha spent the time in the pool with the dolphin, Jared sitting just outside with a list of things Misha had to check for. Jared would read off the item, and Misha would examine the dolphin and call out the facts, which Jared would then write onto the list. Jared didn’t have any pressing work on the moment, especially since he had already studied all the fish in the area and until Misha was ready to go out to the reef, couldn’t really get more.

After their shift, Jared and Jensen took Misha to Felicia’s house. Jensen disappeared inside before Felicia had even had a chance to greet all of them. She turned to Misha and Jared, looking curious.

“Sorry about him,” Jared said, shrugging. “He’s still not over whatever his issues are with Misha.”

Misha looked down at that, shuffling his feet slightly. Felicia smiled reassuringly at him.

“Hey, he’ll warm up to you eventually,” she promised, patting his shoulder. “Now come on, there’s something I wanna introduce you to. Have you ever played a video game before?”

Misha tilted his head slightly as he followed her to the couch, sitting down next to her. She handed him a controller for a Super Nintendo and pointed out all the buttons to him. Once she had introduced him to the controller, she went and started up Super Mario World, before joining Misha on the couch again.

“This is an easy one,” she told him. “And you don’t really need much reading to be able to play. Just remember which button is which and you should do alright.”

 She started the game and read off the small bit of text there was at the beginning of the game before they started playing. Felicia went slowly at first, giving Misha a chance to get used to the gameplay. She read the bits of text that popped up, ensuring that the older man was keeping up with the storyline.

 

As soon as they had gotten inside, Jensen had slipped into the small office they had. It was in a separate room because Felicia played games in there a lot and could often get quite loud and as much as Amanda could be loud herself, sometimes she likes being able to watch tv or read a book without Felicia shouting from two feet behind her. They made up for the use of the room by sharing a bedroom, which neither of them minded doing.

Felicia also had the best and fastest internet on the island, because of some technobabble none of the rest of them really understood.  All they knew was that she was the only one on the island able to use the internet without losing five minutes to loading time every single time. Jensen used this to his advantage, looking up more information about the types of creatures in the area. Jared walked in on him, frowning at what he saw.

“You’re still looking for that thing?” he asked. Jensen looked over his shoulder at him.

“I have to find it, Jay. I have to prove to the rest of you that I’m not crazy.” He looked back at his screen. Jared rested a hand on Jensen’s shoulder.

“None of us think you’re crazy, Jen. We just think that you suffered a severe trauma and your brain, while struggling to understand the trauma, invented this creature that you think you saw.” Jared looked at the screen. “Besides, sea creatures are supposed to mostly lure people to their deaths, right? Why would this one save you?”

Jensen sighed, turning to glare at Jared.

“And why would a whale save me? Whales don’t generally save people. And they definitely wouldn’t know exactly which island to bring me to. Something was out there, and it saved me.”

“Why don’t we go ask Misha about it? I’m sure he’ll tell you that whales save people all the time.” Jared turned towards the main room, Jensen reluctantly following. Felicia glanced up as they entered, pausing the game when she saw the angry look on Jensen’s face. Misha looked up as well when the game had paused, frowning at Jensen’s expression.

“What’s up, guys?” Felicia asked, leaning against the back of the couch. Jared looked at Misha.

“Misha, how likely is it that a whale or dolphin saved Jensen?” he asked. Jensen rolled his eyes, looking away. Misha looked between them curiously.

“Uh, well, there are tons of legends and stories of people being saved by whales and dolphins, and they will help out sometimes-” He stopped for a moment when he saw the murderous look Jensen was giving him, and he held up his hand- “ _but_ they generally have a relationship with the person they’re saving, and anyway, there aren’t any whales in the area this time of year and dolphins don’t usually hang out in the middle of the ocean during storms. So while it is possible, it’s incredibly unlikely.”

Jensen and Jared both looked surprised for a moment before Jensen smirked at Jared. Misha shrugged apologetically and looked back down. Felicia rested a hand on his shoulder, squeezing in silent support. She knew what it was like to be dragged into an argument. Jensen finally turned back to Misha, smiling.

“Thank you, Misha. You agree that it could have been a sea creature, right?” he asked. Misha shrugged again.

“It’s possible. There are dozens of reports over the years of a sea creature living in this area. They vary in terms of how benevolent the creature is, but if you believe fishermen and pirates, there’s definitely something here.”

Jensen sighed and nodded. Fishermen and pirates weren’t exactly the most trustworthy people, especially when it came to tales of sea monsters, but if there were that many focused on this one area…maybe he could let himself hope, just a little, that the stories were true.


	7. We Have a Visual

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Omg I am so so so so so so so so sorry. It's been almost exactly a year since I last updated. I know. I suck. BUT there's a very good explanation for why I haven't gotten anything written for so long. It's called life. As in, I had two summer classes last summer, followed by my senior year of college, so as you can imagine, the last year has been pretty busy. 
> 
> Anyway, I'm back now, and my biggest challenges with this story have been overcome, so from now on it will be pretty smooth sailing (for me, not the characters, they're in for some fun times).

The next day was their day off, and Misha disappeared almost immediately after breakfast, telling Jensen that he finally had a chance to get them some good food. Jensen went out a few minutes later to join Jared and Genevieve on their front porch, sipping coffee. They had plans to go to the beach later, trying to work through Jensen’s fear of water. The beach was the best place for them to do it at the moment, given that it was easy to work gradually closer. They hoped someday to move on to the docks, but for now they were using the beach.

Jensen leaned back in his seat, sighing and looking out at the ocean. Jared’s cabin had a perfect view of the beach and the ocean, and got a cool breeze off the water. It was the perfect spot to spend a morning, and they spent most of their free mornings here.

“How’s it going with Misha?” Gen asked, looking at the two men.

“He’s so weird,” Jensen complained, not looking away from the sea. “He disappeared as soon as he was done with breakfast. He keeps complaining about the food we have, and supposedly he’s out getting us real food from the seabed.”

“The seabed? But he doesn’t have his own diving suit,” Jared remarked, frowning. Jensen shrugged.

“That’s all he told me. Maybe he thinks he can grow gills or something. That sounds like him.” Jensen sighed again and stood up. “Come on, let’s go play at the beach. Soul-crushing terror is just the thing I need to get that weirdo off my mind.”

Jared and Gen both stood as well, nodding. Gen gave Jensen a sympathetic smile, leaning in to say something, but was cut off by the sound of a whale call, so loud and powerful that all of the buildings shook, and everyone on the island had to cover their ears. The three friends ran down to the beach to see what was going on, arriving just as all of the rest of the inhabitants did, everyone except Misha.

They all stood in wonder as, less than a mile from the shore, what appeared to be a dragon head broke through the surface of the water. It was huge, roughly the length of a humpback whale, and a deep, dark blue. On top of the head was a light blue, feathery fin, which was mostly flattened in the dragon’s current position. The dragon opened its mouth, and another whale call shook the island.  The dragon pulled itself out of the water completely, revealing a long, slender blue body, with more fins on the top and sides. It had four legs, each with webbed feet ending in three claws. It’s tail was similar to a whale’s, though it was the same feathery material as the fins. The dragon shimmered slightly in the sunlight before slipping back into the water with barely a splash.

The entire group of scientists flew into a frenzy. None of them could deny what they had just seen, though they were also struggling to figure out exactly what it was they had seen. Jensen pointed towards where the dragon had been.

“That’s the creature that saved me,” he stated. Jared turned to him.

“Jen, I-” he began. At that moment, Misha came out of the water, shaking his head and flinging water everywhere. Jared and Jensen both turned to him, as both had seen, or thought they saw, a scattering of blue scales across his face. Neither one wanted to say anything, however, both afraid that the other would think they were insane.

“Well that was certainly interesting,” Misha remarked as he approached them. “Scared off all the pretty fish. I did manage to get some clams and seaweed, though.” He held up a bag full of things he had picked up off the seafloor. Jensen raised an eyebrow.

“You kept hold of that even with that thing around? Didn’t you try to get out as fast as possible?” He couldn’t imagine anyone sticking around when there was a giant sea dragon swimming around nearby. His eyes widened slightly when Misha just shrugged.

“I mean, this is the dragon that saved your life, right? It doesn’t seem like it is there to hurt us, does it?” He patted Jensen’s shoulder before heading towards their house with his bag of food.

Jensen turned to Jared, raising his arms in a “see” gesture. Jared frowned.

“Give him a break, Jen. Sure, he’s not like us, but he’s not doing anything wrong. Besides, to him, we probably seem pretty weird. Only there’s more of us than there are of him.” Jared patted Jensen’s shoulder. “Go spend some time with him. Maybe if you got to know him without this prejudice you’re carrying around, you’d see that he’s actually not a bad guy.”

Jensen glared at Jared for a moment before walking away, heading in the direction of his house. Once inside, he found Misha stretched out on the couch, holding a book open. Jensen frowned.

“Thought you couldn’t read,” he remarked. Misha jumped slightly before looking over at him.

“I can’t,” he replied. “But I have seen people do this and it always looked like they enjoyed it.”

“That’s usually because they’re reading something good.” Jensen plucked the book out of Misha’s hands, glancing at the cover. “And it’s usually not _War and Peace_.” He put the book back on the bookshelf, then walked back over and shoved Misha’s legs off the couch so he could sit down. “What do you usually do for fun, anyway?”

“I do all kinds of things,” Misha replied, shrugging. “I swim, I play with little ones, I care for the herds, and I collect things off the ocean floor. I do whatever I feel like doing at that moment.”

Jensen frowned as he took that in. None of that stuff sounded particularly fun to him, but then, he and Misha were very different. And he was starting to understand that it might not be such a bad thing to get to know Misha better. He went to bed not long after their conversation, once again hearing Misha run a bath for himself.


	8. The Cave

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heeeeey. I'm back. I'm also several chapters ahead in my google doc. It's really just a matter of remembering to post them, and I've put a thing on my phone calendar to remind me to post the next chapter on Saturday mornings. So boom. You'll get a new chapter every week. 
> 
> This chapter represents sort of a turning point in Misha and Jensen's relationship, and in the overall plot. It's the beginning of the end of phase one of the planned plot for the story.

Over the next week, Jensen continued to pretend to hate Misha when they were outside the home, but made great strides towards befriending him while they were home. He even started teaching Misha to read, though the progress was slow, since Misha seemed to have the attention span of a goldfish.

On their next day off, Misha bounded into Jensen’s room first thing in the morning with a plate of eggs and bacon, delicacies that had arrived at the island the day before. Jensen woke up slowly, and glared at Misha as soon as he saw the other man.

“What the hell are you doing in here?” he demanded. Misha placed the plate of food on the bedside table before sitting on the edge of the bed.

“I wanted to try something new today,” he began. “I thought that since you’re helping me so much, maybe I can help you out. I know you’re afraid of water, and I know that you hate that your boss found it necessary to hire someone else for your team to do what you can’t. So I figured I could help you.”

“No,” Jensen said immediately, shaking his head. “No way. I’m not even going to begin to try doing that with you.”

“Look, it’s not like there’s any reason to be embarrassed, and I know of a place where you can do it away from everyone else. At least…let me show the place to you?” Misha smiled, trying to win Jensen over. The younger man clenched his jaw, watching Misha carefully.

“No one will see us?” he asked, shifting slightly.

“Not a soul,” Misha promised, stealing a piece of bacon off of the plate he’d brought for Jensen. Jensen frowned at him, then started eating the food himself, pulling the plate closer to him.

“You can show it to me, but that’s it. I’m not promising I’ll do anything while we’re there, but I’ll come with you.” He finished his breakfast and stood up, going to wash the dishes. Meanwhile, Misha disappeared into his room, returning with a pair of towels. Jensen narrowed his eyes at him, and Misha shrugged, smiling.

“Just because you’re not gonna go in doesn’t mean I won’t. And maybe you’ll get your feet wet or something. It’s better to be prepared, right?” He went to the front door, then leaned against it, watching his roommate as the other man finished the dishes and then started cleaning off the counter. Misha rolled his eyes. “You’re stalling. Let’s go, before Jared or Felicia come and drag you off to the beach.”

That seemed to jump-start Jensen, and he immediately went to Misha’s side. He hated when his friends dragged him to the beach. He knew they were trying to help, but it still sucked. Especially since the beach they used was the one right outside the village, and therefore was seen by everyone. It was bad enough everyone knew Jensen was afraid of water. Did they really have to also see him having panic attacks once a week?

Once they finally left, Misha led Jensen along the road leading to the lab until they were about halfway there. He then veered off it and into the jungle. After another half a mile, they arrived at a rocky area that ended in a steep cliff over the sea. Misha led Jensen between two rocks to a large tunnel, which was covered in markings as though something large dragged itself in and out of the area on a regular basis. Jensen froze at the sight.

“Uh…Misha…are you sure it’s safe to go in there?” he asked, pointing at the markings.

“Of course. I’m in here all the time. Don’t worry about those. Whatever it is that used to live here is gone now. Probably got scared away when you guys moved in.” Misha dropped down into the tunnel and slid down the incline. Jensen waited another few seconds, then pushed himself into the tunnel as well. He slid down, coming to a stop inside a large cave. The only light in the cave came from down below them, where the cave made a sharp turn, and through the tunnel they had just come from.

“Where’s the water?” Jensen asked, looking towards Misha’s silhouette. Misha chuckled, moving forward and grabbing Jensen’s arm, guiding him around the bend in the cave. There, the cave opened up into a large cavern, a hole in the apex of the ceiling that let in enough light to make it almost seem like they were outside. The rocky floor of the cave sloped down into a massive underground lake, waves lapping at the shore gently. On the far side of the lake, a small pinprick of light was just visible above the surface of the lake.

“This lake feeds out into the ocean. There’s a tunnel on the other end that leads out. That’s where the water comes from.” Misha dropped Jensen’s hand and walked forward, stopping when he was near the edge of the water. He bent down and took off his shoes and socks, rolled up his pants, and stepped into the water until it came up to his shins. “It’s nice in here, because the water gradually gets deeper, but it’s still rock, which makes a nice, solid surface to stand on.”

“And no one else knows this place exists?” Jensen asked, looking around. It seemed hard to believe. The place was almost magical, and he could just imagine what it would look like during a full moon.

“Well, my people used to come out here every year for a big celebration, but then the water level rose and it became too difficult to come in and out. That’s when the creature moved in. Rumors say it was the same sea dragon that’s been seen around this island, but there’s no proof. Now, there’s just us and the fish.” Misha extended a hand, beckoning Jensen forward. “How close do you think you can come?”

Jensen had honestly almost forgotten about the water, and the reason they were there. He took a deep breath, looking towards the water and Misha. He took off his shoes and socks, placing them off to the side before carefully taking a few steps forward. Just by coming into this section of the cave, he was already closer to water than he’d been in weeks.

Misha grinned as he watched Jensen approach, and Jensen couldn’t help but smile back. Misha’s smiles were infectious like that. Especially when it was clear that Misha genuinely cared about Jensen’s progress. Jensen couldn't figure out if this was because Misha loved being in the water so much or if it was because he really cared about Jensen, but it was nice either way. And no matter what Misha said, Jensen knew that if he ever flat out said no, he didn’t want to try being near water, Misha would back off. He didn’t know how he knew, since he hadn't tested the theory, but Misha hadn't once said the words “you need to get over this fear.” He had just countered every one of Jensen’s objections. It was a subtle difference, but it certainly helped Jensen feel more comfortable around him.

He suddenly realized that while he’d been lost in thought, he had made it to within ten feet of the water. As soon as that realization hit, the panic set in, and next thing he knew, he was on the ground, breathing hard with his eyes clenched tight and his head in his knees. It was less than a second before he felt Misha’s presence nearby.

“Hey, Jensen, deep breath, okay?” Misha said. He hovered for a second before resting a hand carefully on Jensen’s back. “If I count, can you breathe along with me?” he asked. Jensen didn’t respond at first, then nodded slightly. Misha guided him through breathing until Jensen’s own breaths were back under control, and the younger man slumped against Misha, worn out from the panic. Misha rubbed Jensen’s back soothingly for a while until Jensen had recovered.

“Thanks,” he whispered.

“Not a problem,” Misha replied, grinning again. He pulled away slightly. “Why don’t you go rest a bit? I’ll find us some lunch, and after we eat something we’ll head home.”

Jensen sat up, nodding. He was still physically and mentally exhausted. He spotted a nook in the wall where the ground was covered in leaves and grasses. He moved to that spot, finding the greenery to be surprisingly soft. He laid down and watched Misha through half-lidded eyes as the man stripped down to his boxers and slipped into the water. Just before Misha disappeared, Jensen thought he saw blue scales cover the man’s body.

Jensen stayed lying down for a while, half-asleep.

When he came back to full awareness, Misha was sitting nearby, poking at a fire with a stick and slurping at a raw clam. Jensen groaned as he sat up, and Misha turned to face him. 

“You're awake!” he exclaimed, perking up. “I made you a fire. You guys find them relaxing, right?”

“Uh, yeah? Kinda thought everyone did,” Jensen replied, standing and joining Misha by the fire. 

“I prefer water. Fire is...destructive and unpredictable,” Misha admitted, shrugging. “And it can leave wounds that don't heal.”

“Water’s pretty destructive too,” Jensen pointed out, staring at the water a few feet away. Misha shook his head. 

“If you learn the water, it's easy to predict, even during storms. I've been around these waters for years. It's easy for me to know what it will do next.”

Jensen listened carefully, then looked towards the water again, swallowing. He was terrified of the water. All he could think about was nearly drowning in that storm. What if it happened again? Yet...if what Misha had said was true, then…

“So...if you and I were out in the water together...you'd be able to make sure nothing happened?” Jensen asked slowly, looking up at Misha. 

“Of course,” Misha replied, grinning. “Then you could see the good parts of the sea again, and you wouldn't be scared anymore.”

Jensen couldn't help but smile back. Misha’s happiness really was infectious. And Jensen loved that Misha cared so much about his happiness. 

“I would like not being afraid anymore,” he admitted, meeting Misha’s gaze again. Misha suddenly jumped up, reaching out for Jensen’s hands.

“I have an idea!” he exclaimed, grinning. Jensen chuckled, standing up and hesitantly placing his hands in Misha’s. Misha smiled gently, wrapping his fingers around Jensen’s hands. “Alright, focus on me, Jensen. Whatever happens, keep your focus on me.”

Jensen nodded, showing he understood. Misha immediately launched into a description of his favorite reef to swim around, all while holding Jensen’s gaze and taking slow steps backwards, towards the water. Every time Jensen’s focus wavered, or his breathing picked up, Misha shook his hands, drawing his attention back to him.

Suddenly, Misha tugged Jensen closer, dropping his hands to cup his face. The movement caused Jensen’s feet to be submerged in the water, and Jensen immediately started to panic.

“Jensen, focus on me,” Misha whispered. “It’s okay. You’re safe, I promise. I won’t let anything happen to you. Just focus on me.”

Jensen snapped his eyes back to Misha, looking into his eyes. This close, he could see Misha’s eyes better than ever. Not only were they piercingly blue, but it almost looked like there were waves in them. It was like looking into the ocean.

“Your eyes…” he murmured.

“What about them?” Misha asked, furrowing his brow.

“There’s...waves...it’s weird.” Jensen swallowed, blinking. He wanted to look away, but he also...didn’t. There was something mesmerizing about being this close to Misha, and Jensen was afraid to break the spell they were under.

“They do that,” Misha remarked. He smiled, stroking Jensen’s cheeks with his thumbs. “I’m proud of you, Jensen. You’re doing a really good job right now. You’ll be doing what you love again in no time.”

Jensen was silent for a moment, melting into Misha’s touches and words. It had been so long since anyone had been so completely focused on him and his happiness. It was...touching, in a way. He finally wrapped his arms loosely around Misha, pulling him into a hug. 

“Thanks,” he whispered. “For...for doing this. For being so patient with me. It means a lot.”

“You’re welcome,” Misha replied, returning the hug. “You ready to go get dry and head home?”

“Yeah,” Jensen replied. It was a few minutes before they finally pulled apart, and Jensen felt a twinge of regret. Hugging Misha had felt safe, and warm. He had enjoyed it. Misha broke him out of his thoughts by placing a hand on his shoulder, walking him back to the shore. It was only once they were back on dry land that Jensen realized that he had just stood in water for several minutes without freaking out.


	9. Friendship

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a shorter chapter, and it's not one of the better ones, but it was needed to further develop the characters. Hope you enjoy it anyway.

Having Misha around made Jensen feel more secure in other places too. Jensen had been too focused on not liking Misha to realize how much effort the other man put into making everyone around him happy. But now that he was noticing it, he was growing addicted to Misha’s presence. The way he made everything seem exciting. 

Which was how he found himself kneeling several feet from the dolphin tank. Misha was sitting next to the tank, his legs dangling into the water as he pet the dolphin and watched Jensen.

“Come on, Jensen,” Misha called. “Come a little closer.”

“I dunno, Mish,” Jensen replied, chewing on his bottom lip. “That's...it's a lot different from the other place.”

Misha stood and walked over to Jensen, sitting down next to him. He rested a hand on Jensen’s back, rubbing gently. 

“It’s safer here,” he murmured. “It's just me and Sally over there.”

“Sally?” Jensen repeated. “The dolphin’s name is Sally?”

“She says it's a family name. But that's not important.” Misha stood, extending a hand towards Jensen. “Come on. I'm right here.”

Jensen looked up at Misha. He had no idea why it was so calming to know that Misha would be with him the entire time. He had no idea why he let Misha talk him into these things. All he knew was that he felt safer with Misha around than he did with anyone else. He slowly reached up and took Misha’s hand, standing up.

“Okay. But if I need to leave I will,” he stated, looking at Misha. 

“Of course! I'm not going to throw you into the water as soon as you have a panic attack.” Misha grinned, walking with Jensen slowly towards the water. Jensen’s grip on Misha’s hand tightened as they got steadily closer, almost to the point of being painful, but Misha didn't say anything. 

Once they were at the side of the tank, Misha pulled away and sat down, dangling his feet in the water again. Jensen slowly sat down next to him, immediately reaching for Misha as he slowly put his feet in the water. As soon as his feet touched the surface, his breathing picked up, and he could feel the beginnings of a panic attack. His vision went black, and it took a minute for him to realize that he had clenched his eyes shut.

“Jensen,” Misha murmured. Jensen didn’t know why, but somehow Misha’s voice always cut through the panicked thoughts like a knife.

“Mish?” Jensen breathed, turning his head towards the other man. His gaze immediately locked onto Misha’s, and he let the waves in Misha’s eyes soothe him.

“It’s okay, Jensen,” Misha whispered. “You’re okay. I won’t let anything happen to you, alright?”

Jensen was silent for a few more moments, letting his breathing and heart   rate get back under control.

“Why?” he finally asked. “Why do you care so much? Look at me. I’m a mess. It wouldn’t matter if I never got back in the water.”

“Does it matter to you?” Misha countered. When Jensen nodded, Misha continued. “Then it matters. And I care because you’re my friend. I want you to be happy.”

Jensen blinked. Sure, they spent a lot of time together, and Misha seemed more comfortable with him than some of the others, but Jensen hadn’t thought of them as being friends until that moment. They were just two people who lived together. However, when he looked at Misha to say as much, he found that he couldn’t bring himself to do it.

“What makes you happy?” he asked instead. Misha furrowed his brow.

“Lots of things,” he replied. “Why?”

“Well, you’re doing all of this just to make me happy. So, what would make you happy?” Jensen reached out and took Misha’s hand, looking up at the other man. Misha was silent for a moment, watching Sally as she swam.

“I don’t know,” he admitted. “I don’t know if there’s one specific thing. I mean...there is, but it’s nothing anyone can give me.”

“Would you feel comfortable telling me what it is?” Jensen held Misha’s gaze, offering silent support. Misha looked into his eyes for a moment, then slid into the water. He submerged himself for a moment, then came up and rested his arms and chin on the side of the tank, looking out across the room.

“M-my family is gone,” he began, dropping his gaze to the floor in front of him. “My mom died when I was little, and left my siblings and I on our own. We all...tried to stick together, but I haven’t seen them in a long time. If I could have one thing, it would just to be to see my siblings again. Especially my little brother. We were really close growing up. I miss him so much.”

Jensen listened carefully, reaching out to rub Misha’s back.

“I’m sorry, man. That’s...that must be really hard.” He continued rubbing Misha’s back, part of him tempted to do more. He wanted to make Misha feel better, but he had never been particularly good at this type of thing. Misha looked up at him. 

“I'm sorry. I'm getting maudlin, aren't I?” He pulled himself out of the water, sitting next to Jensen, getting the other man wet. 

“Dude!” Jensen exclaimed, jumping up. He looked down at his now-soaked pants and shirt, then looked up at Misha. The minute he saw the smirk on Misha’s face, he shoved Misha back into the tank, smirking back at him. 

“Serves you right, you ass,” he called as Misha looked at him with a scandalized expression. 

“You work with the ocean, Jen. You should get used to getting a little wet.” Misha pulled himself back out and ran after Jensen. Jensen took off, and they chased each other around the room until Misha tackled Jensen, laying over him and shaking his head, tossing water at Jensen’s face. They were both laughing, meeting each other’s gaze, until someone cleared their throats. Jensen and Misha both looked towards the sound and saw Jared standing a few feet away. 

“Oh, hey Jared,” Misha greeted, grinning. Jensen sat up, pushing Misha off him. 

“What was that about?” Jared asked, mostly looking at Jensen. Jensen blushed, looking away. He would tease people, sure, but it was rare that he did something so childish. And with Misha, no less. Misha, who was grinning like a fool and had never looked happier. 

“Misha was being a jackass,” he finally stated, looking up at Jared. 

“Was not. I just had to get Jensen back for pushing me into the tank,” Misha argued immediately, sticking his tongue out at Jensen playfully. Jensen looked at him, then burst into laughter, seeming to laugh with his entire body. 

“Well, whatever you two were doing, it's almost dark out. We should get going back to the village,” Jared told them, pointing to the clock on one wall. Jensen looked at the clock as well, then stood, further dislodging Misha. Misha stood as well, nudging Jensen with his elbow as Jared turned away. As soon as Jensen was looking at him, Misha raised an eyebrow and tilted his head towards Jared. Jensen caught on almost immediately, and they both threw themselves at Jared, hugging him tightly and making him just as wet as they were. 


	10. Into the Water

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a little mean. To both boys. But it's worth it, I promise.

Having Misha on his side made it almost bearable for Jensen to work near the water. He still wouldn’t go near a boat, but he would wade a few steps in as long as Misha was by his side. He wasn’t comfortable with the audience that usually formed to see if he had made progress, but somehow Misha always seemed to sense his discomfort and would make a big show about needing to leave the water. Jensen was starting to really like Misha for everything he was doing for him, and was starting to feel like he needed to do something for him in return.

Every time they had a day off, Misha would take Jensen back to what he was starting to think of as their cave. It had been two months, and Jensen was starting to feel more comfortable around the water. He still wouldn’t even step foot in the water unless MIsha was distracting him in some way. But he could get much closer on his own. Today, he was sitting less than ten feet away, watching while Misha swam around, collecting more clams and seaweed for them to eat.

When Misha returned to shore, he dropped everything he had collected nearby, then sat down next to Jensen, looking out at the water with him.

“What’s your home like?” he asked, looking at Jensen. “No one ever talks about where you’re from.”

“I’m from America. More specifically, Texas,” Jensen told him. “It’s a larger state in the South. It’s really hot all the time, and really dry. You’d probably hate it.”

“Sounds horrible. What if you want to go swimming?” Misha asked, looking at Jensen.

“We have pools,” Jensen explained. “They’re like...little ponds in our backyards, filled with water.”

“Still sounds terrible,” Misha stated, making a face. “I like the ocean. I like being able to swim, and being with the fish and the whales, and everything else.”

“I like it too,” Jensen replied. “I miss it. Every day. But I just...can’t do it.”

“You’re already closer than you were two months ago. You’ll get there.” Misha squeezed Jensen’s shoulder, then stood and started collecting the clams and seaweed into a bag.

“We heading out?” Jensen asked. Misha nodded.

“I want to check on Sally on our way back. She’s getting closer to her due date and I want to make sure she’s doing alright.” MIsha led the way out of the cave and through the woods to the research facility.

Misha went into the locker rooms to change into the wetsuit their boss had provided for him. Meanwhile, Jensen went into the tank room and went to set their things down near the tank. As Misha walked in, Jensen turned and straightened at the same time, off-balancing himself. Before he could catch himself, he tipped backwards into the tank.

All at once, he was back in the storm, the water pounding him from all directions. He fought to stay above water. The current kept pulling him under, trying to drag him down to death. Something grabbed him, and he fought against it as hard as he could. He didn’t know what it was, but he knew it couldn’t be good if it was fighting this kind of storm. He was pulled out of the water and laid out on a cold, hard surface. Someone was talking, but he couldn’t make out what was being said.

He finally started to come back to himself when something warm and heavy was placed over him, and he felt someone stroking his hair. The warmth combined with the exhaustion of his flashback and the stroking of his hair lulled him to sleep almost immediately.

 

When he woke up again, he was back in his own bed, covered in heavy blankets. He could hear Misha and Jared talking in the next room, and he frowned. He loved Jared like a brother, and MIsha as always looking out for him, but he wasn’t sure he wanted to deal with their pity or sympathy. He didn’t even want to acknowledge what had happened earlier.

Unfortunately, he was  _ starving _ , and he would need to leave the room to eat. He slowly stood up, taking a deep breath when he heard the voices stop. He stepped outside, pausing at what he saw. He had expected to find Jared and Misha on the couch together, talking about him. Instead, Misha was laid out on the couch looking miserable, while Jared stood nearby, his posture suggesting that he was annoyed about something. Most likely whatever MIsha had said.

“What happened?” Jensen asked, frowning.

“Nothing,” Misha replied immediately. His voice was hoarse, and Jensen’s frown deepened.

“You sound horrible,” he stated.

“MIsha decided to carry you all the way back here himself and then stayed up for twenty hours,” Jared told him. Despite the annoyance in his voice, it was obvious that Jared was worried about Misha, who was shivering slightly where he was laying.

“Mish!” Jensen scolded. “Why the hell would you do something like that?”

Misha shrugged, looking away. Jensen sighed, walking over and stroking Misha’s hair. He grew even more concerned when he felt how hot Misha’s skin was.

“Why don’t you go to bed? I’m awake now. It’s okay for you to sleep. I’m just gonna be eating dinner and then I’m gonna go back to bed, okay?” Jensen tugged on Misha’s wrist, then went to the kitchen to find himself something to eat. Misha watched him, then obediently got up and walked into his bedroom. Within minutes, the water in Misha’s tub started running, and Jared turned to Jensen.

“Is he taking a bath?” he asked, his brow furrowed.

“He does that every night,” Jensen replied, pulling out a can of soup to heat up for himself. “I don’t really question it anymore.”

“You guys are getting pretty close, huh?” Jared pulled out a pan for Jensen, putting it down on the stove. Jensen started cooking the soup, focusing on that for a moment.

“I guess. I mean, we live together, so yeah, I guess we’re friends. And we take care of each other. That’s what partners do, isn’t it?” Jensen looked up at Jared.

“We’ve been partners and friends for a long time, Jay, and I’ve never once had you stroke my hair or look at me like that,” Jared pointed out. “What’s going on with you two?”

“Nothing. I dunno. I just...sometimes I feel the need to take care of him, okay? That’s it. Nothing weird or special going on there.” Jensen glanced up at Jared, then focused on the soup again. “He doesn't have anyone else. All he's got is us. And he lives with me. I want to make sure he's okay.”

Jared raised an eyebrow. 

“Whatever you say, man. Just be careful, okay? He's not officially employed here. He could leave, and I don't want to see you get hurt.” He patted Jensen's back. “I'm going to get going. Gen’s probably wondering where I am. Let me know if you guys need anything.”

“I will. Say hi to Gen for me.” Jensen watched Jared leave, then finished making his soup and eating it.

Once he was done eating, he glanced towards Misha’s door, wondering if he should check on him. He decided to let him sleep, instead going to his own room to rest some more. 

 

When Jensen woke up late the next morning, Misha still wasn't up. Jensen frowned, worried about Misha. He had looked and felt really sick the night before, and he never slept for so long. Jensen went to the door, knocking gently. 

“Mish?” he called, holding his ear to the door. 

“Bath,” Misha called back, though his voice was even weaker than before. It sounded like he was getting worse. Jensen nodded to himself, then opened the door. He stood just out of sight of the bathroom. 

“Hey man, are you okay?” he asked. He heard some shifting and what sounded like Misha falling into the tub. 

“I'll be fine,” Misha said finally. Jensen rolled his eyes. Misha was even worse about hiding his problems than Jensen was. The man sounded like he was on the verge of death. 

“Get dressed and come out. I'll make you something to eat, alright?” Jensen stayed until he heard a whispered assent from Misha, then went back out to the kitchen. He put together a bowl of cereal for himself and a bowl of soup for Misha. He had everything set up on the coffee table before Misha appeared, wrapped in a quilt and still shivering. Jensen immediately went to him, helping him to the couch. 

“What happened?” Jensen asked. “This is more than just over exhaustion.”

“It's...something that affects my people. A genetic disorder. Sometimes, if I wear myself out or overexert myself, this happens.” Misha picked up his bowl of soup and curled around it slightly, sipping at it. “I'll go to the ocean later and it will help.”

“No,” Jensen protested, shaking his head. “You're not going anywhere like this.” 

Misha turned a baleful gaze on him, and Jensen noticed for the first time that the skin on his neck was dry and peeling, like the worst sunburn Jensen had ever seen.

“Dude!” he exclaimed, reaching out and hovering his hand near the spot. Misha recoiled, shifting slightly so his neck was hidden. 

“It's nothing. Promise. I'm not going to die if I go to the ocean.” Misha put his bowl of soup down and slowly stood up, swaying slightly. Jensen stood up as well, immediately wrapping an arm around Misha to support him. 

“You're going to go whether I like it or not, aren't you?” he asked, though he already knew the answer. Misha nodded, and Jensen sighed, then adjusted his hold on him. “Fine. But I'm coming with you.”

Misha leaned into Jensen’s hold slightly, and together they made their way down to the beach. Jensen stopped a few feet away from the water, but Misha just handed him the blanket he was wrapped in and, shivering hard, walked down to the ocean, where he laid down and sank beneath the waves almost immediately. 


	11. A Storm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so I feel a little mean for this chapter, but it's necessary, promise. Sort of. It builds character. And plot.

As soon as Misha disappeared, Jensen started to freak out. He was going to kill Misha when he got back. Why the hell would he think it was a good idea to go into the water when he could barely stand. Jensen spun around, looking for anyone who could help. He wanted to go in after Misha, but he just...he couldn't. Just the idea of doing so was enough to cover him in a cold sweat. 

No one was around, though. Everyone was apparently at work or inside. Jensen knew that Jared was off that day, so he must be in his house. Jensen ran up to his house, pounding on the front door. 

“Jared!” he called. “Come on! Help!”

“What?” Jared asked, opening the door so fast that Jensen pounded on his chest twice before realizing the door was open. 

“It's Misha! He...I dunno. Maybe he was delusional because of the fever or something but he laid down in the water and he disappeared and I don’t know what to do and-”

“Jensen,” Jared exclaimed, grabbing his shoulders and cutting off his babbling. “It’s alright. Come on. We’ll go find him.” 

He ran down to the beach, Jensen following a few feet behind. Jared had just run into the water when he was slammed backwards by a giant wave. Jensen watched as the water pulled Jared under as well, but before he could do anything, Jared was being shoved back onto dry land. Jared ran back to where Jensen was standing, watching as the beach was pounded by wave after wave, and seemingly out of nowhere, a storm formed just off shore. 

Jared and Jensen were soon joined by everyone else on the island, all looking up at the black clouds a mile off shore and the churning seas. A huge waterspout formed in the middle of the storm, and when it fell back to the water, the dragon from before was in its spot, calling out in what sounded like a mix of pain and fear. 

“What the fu-” Jensen whispered, cut off by a sudden explosion of thunder and rain and wind. The dragon cried out again, then was struck by a bolt of lightning before falling back into the water, pushing a huge wave towards the shore. The storm grew worse, and as one everyone ran back to the village into the nearest houses, not particularly caring whose was whose. Jensen ended up in Jared’s house with Jared and Felicia. They had no idea where the others had ended up, and Jared kept looking out at the other houses looking for Gen, but less than a minute after they all made it inside, the full force of the storm it.

It was like a hurricane. The houses were shaking in the wind, rain was pounding on the roofs, and the thunder was deafening. The three of them hunkered down in the bathroom, the safest place in the house if the walls started to cave in on them.

In the middle of it all, there was a large thunk on the roof of their house, followed by something rolling along it. There was a second thunk as whatever it was fell off the roof to the ground next to the house. Jensen, Felicia, and Jared all looked at each other.

“That was...really loud,” Felicia remarked, her voice shaking. “Couldn’t have been…”

“No.” Jared cut her off. He wasn’t about to entertain the idea that that might have been a person. 

“It was probably just a fish or something,” Jensen stated, sounding like he was as uncertain as they were. “You’ll hear stories of fish being swept up by something like this. That’s probably what it was.”

“Must have been one big fish,” Jared replied, glancing up towards the roof. As suddenly has it had come, the storm stopped. Jensen was the first to step outside, and it was almost as if the storm had never happened. The sun was shining brightly, and there wasn’t a sign of any clouds in the sky. If it wasn’t for the water dripping off the trees and buildings and the others coming out of houses looking shaken, Jensen would have wondered if he hadn’t imagined the whole thing. He saw Jared run over to Gen, and smiled at the sight. He heard Felicia gasp from behind him and turned, freezing and eyes widening when he saw legs poking out from next to the house. Misha’s legs.

Jensen walked over, stopping when he saw Misha laying flat on his back, staring up at the sky. He knelt down next to him, frowning and gently stroking his hair. 

“Mish?” he asked quietly. Misha blinked, turning his head to look at Jensen. 

“Hey Jen,” Misha replied, his voice breathy. He closed his eyes, enjoying Jensen’s touch. “Some storm, huh?”

“Some storm? Dude it was practically a hurricane and- wait….are you the one who landed on top of the roof?” Jensen pushed his hand under Misha’s head, feeling the back of his head for any blood. Misha winced, pulling away. 

“Yeah. Had worse, though. And I don't have a fever anymore. I'm counting my blessings.” Misha used Jensen to help himself sit up, groaning. Jensen helped support him, pulling him to lean against Jensen’s shoulder. Misha smiled, his eyes drifting shut. 

“You look like shit,” Jensen told him. Misha snorted. 

“You would too if you'd had the day I've had. Let's just...go home. I need some sleep.” Misha opened his eyes slightly to look up at Jensen. “How are you? Are you doing alright? You were in a pretty bad place yesterday.”

“You were just dropped on a roof and you're asking me how I am?” Jensen rolled his eyes. “Can you walk?”

“Probably,” Misha replied, though Jensen still helped him stand and wrapped his arm more tightly around him to help support him. Misha leaned heavily into Jensen, and they made their slow way back to their house. Once inside, Jensen started to help Misha to his bed. Misha shook his head, pulling away.

“What is it?” Jensen asked, frowning at him.

“Bathtub,” Misha stated, stumbling towards the bathroom. 

“Really? Why? You said you need sleep.” Jensen followed Misha, wrapping an arm around him and helping him to sit on the side of the tub. Misha looked up at him, licking his lips.

“Look, I...I can’t really explain why. I just...I sleep in water. I have to. That’s...that’s why I got sick yesterday.” Misha shrugged, looking away. “That’s why I run a bath every night. It’s just...a quirk of my genetics, I suppose.”

“A quirk of your genetics?” Jensen replied. “Mish, I’ve been around a lot of different people and studied a lot of biology and I’ve never heard of something like that.”

Despite his disbelief, Jensen reached over Misha and turned on the water, adjusting it to a good temperature. He sat on the toilet, not quite ready to leave Misha yet. He wanted to make sure the other man was going to be okay, and judging by the way Misha was swaying with his eyes barely open, Jensen wasn’t sure he would be. He reached around Misha to stop the drain, then gently squeezed Misha’s shoulder.

“The bath is ready for you. Do you need help getting in or are you good?” he asked. 

“I’m good,” Misha mumbled, already starting to pull his shirt off. Jensen ran his fingers through Misha’s hair, then stood and went to the doorway. 

“You know where to find me if you need me,” he stated. He was reluctant to leave Misha after everything that had happened, but he respected Misha’s privacy (despite the fact that Misha never particularly seemed to care about things like that). He closed Misha’s door as he left, then went out into the main room, frowning.


	12. The Birth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a good chapter. I like this chapter. Hopefully you guys do too.

True to Misha’s word, he was back to his old self the next day, albeit a little more worn out than usual. It took him almost a full week to get back up to his old energy. The months following were full of Misha and Jensen spending more time around the water, and Jensen working hard to ensure that Misha was in water as much as possible. 

It was a warm, sunny morning when Jensen was woken up to the sound of furniture being moved around in the main room. He got up slowly, frowning as he walked into the room and paused, processing what he was seeing. Misha had paused in the middle of moving the couch across the floor, and the desk, kitchen table, and bookshelf had already been moved. 

“Mish?” Jensen began, focusing on him again. “What are you doing?”

“Moving the furniture,” Misha replied. “The energy flow of this room was weird.”

“Let me rephrase that.  _ Why _ are you moving furniture at six am?” Jensen pointed towards the clock. Misha shrugged.

“The sun was up, and I wanted to get this done before work.” Misha finished moving the couch and sat on it, smiling at Jensen.

“You’re an idiot,” Jensen stated, though his tone was fond. Misha’s smile widened and he hopped off the couch, practically bouncing to Jensen.

“You called me an idiot!” he exclaimed, still grinning.

“Uh...yeah?” Jensen replied, furrowing his brow. “Last I checked, that’s an insult.”

“Yeah, but that’s the first time you’ve insulted me to my face. That means you don’t hate me anymore.” Misha grabbed Jensen’s wrists, squeezing gently before moving away into the kitchen. Jensen swallowed. He hadn’t realized that Misha had been so aware of the things Jensen had said about him when he first came to the island.

“I never hated you,” Jensen stated, following Misha into the kitchen. “I just...I didn’t know you. And we’re friends now. Of course I don’t hate you. Although I seriously question our friendship when you move furniture first thing in the morning.”

“It’ll be better this way,” Misha insisted, handing Jensen a cup of coffee.

“Still could have waited until I was awake, weirdo.” Jensen shoved Misha playfully, and Misha grinned, pushing him back. His smiled fell after a moment, and he brushed the back of Jensen’s hand.

“I’m sorry I woke you up. I just woke up and really wanted to do this. I didn’t even think about how early it was.” Jensen draped an arm around MIsha’s shoulders, pulling him in against his side.

“Don’t worry about it, man,” he assured Misha. “I actually like it like this.” He pulled away from Misha and walked over to settle on the couch, which was now facing the kitchen. Misha joined him, sipping his coffee.

 

Two hours later, they left for work. Jared joined them on the walk there, and Jensen relayed the story of how he’d been woken up while Misha smiled and commented on how adorably ruffled Jensen had looked. Jensen was less than happy about the description, and countered with a description of how much like a puppy MIsha was.

Jared left them when they reached the facility, going to the video conference room to chat with their boss. Jensen and Misha changed quickly. Misha put on his wetsuit while Jensen put on the coveralls he normally wore while there.

They both stopped when they got to the tank room. They had left the wall open so Sally could get some time outside. They were far enough from the mainland that they usually didn’t have to worry.

Apparently, they should have worried. 

In one of the two collection tanks, Sally was thrashing around, making pained noises.

“Shit,” Misha cursed, immediately running forward and throwing himself into the water. He swam over to Sally, looking her over carefully.

“Jensen, I need help. Go find someone.” Misha winced as Sally hit him with her tail. Jensen swallowed, turning to look for someone, anyone, who could help. But he knew, deep down, that there wasn’t anyone. Jared would be on his call by now. Amanda, Felicia, Osric, and Gen were on a trip to the mainland. Everyone else had the day off and were in town.

Jensen looked at Misha, who was clearly worried, and at Sally, who was making more and more sounds and thrashing harder. They needed someone, and Jensen was the only one there. He peeled off his coveralls, tossing them aside. He removed his socks and shoes, setting them aside. He looked back at Misha and Sally, his breathing picking up at the thought of what he was about to do. He almost whined as he took a step closer. Misha was hit by Sally’s tail again, and the sight of blood on Misha’s temple pushed Jensen forward. He jumped into the water, shouting as he did. When he was finally able to open his eyes, Misha was staring at him.

“Jen?” he asked. “You’re...you’re in the water.”

“Yeah yeah. Let’s get this over with before my heart gives out or I stroke out.” Jensen swallowed, and he was shaking slightly, but he swam closer, focusing on the task at hand. Misha squeezed Jensen’s shoulder, then nodded towards Sally. 

“I need you to hold her. The baby’s turned around. It's stuck. I've gotta help her get it out, but I need you to hold her so she doesn't knock me away.” Misha smiled at Jensen, and Jensen swam around Sally to hold her from the other side, stroking her side. He cooed softly to her, trying to help her relax. Misha got to work turning the baby around, adding gentle praise to Jensen’s soft words. 

They worked for what felt like hours. Jensen forgot where he was, losing himself in the work. Finally, Misha pulled away, helping the calf out into the water. 

“It's a girl,” Misha murmured. “Her name's Olive.” He looked up at Jensen, his expression soft and tender. Jensen met his gaze, then looked down at the calf. Misha let go of Olive, letting her swim to her mother. They started swimming around, and Misha went to Jensen, hugging him tightly. Jensen returned the hug, starting to tremble again. 

“They'll be okay, right?” he asked quietly. 

“Yeah.” Misha bit his lower lip as he met Jensen’s eyes. “I'm proud of you, Jen. You came into the water. That's so amazing.” 

He helped Jensen out of the water, then grabbed one of the towels he had brought, wrapping it around Jensen. Jensen pulled it tightly around himself, resting his head on Misha’s shoulder. Misha wrapped his arms around Jensen, kissing the top of his head. He led Jensen into the employee breakroom, tugging him down so they were pressed together on one of the armchairs. Jensen ended up on top of Misha, and he tucked his head under Misha’s chin. Misha held him close, stroking his hair. 

“How are you doing?” he asked. 

“Surprisingly well considering I just spent however long in the water. How long were we in there anyway?” Jensen rested his hand on Misha’s chest, sighing softly. 

“About three hours. You must be exhausted, Jen. Why don't you take a nap? I'll cover for you if anyone asks.” Misha tightened his hold on Jensen slightly. 

 

By the time Jared came to find them twenty minutes later, they were both asleep. He draped a blanket over them, took a picture on his phone, then left again. He had seen them helping Sally give birth, and he wanted to let them sleep. He was definitely going to ask Jensen about it later though. 


	13. Jared's Perspective

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm pretty proud of this chapter. Hopefully you all like it.

Jared and Jensen had been working together for ten years. Jared had just gotten his masters in ichthyology and Jensen had a degree in hydrography. They were hired by the same start-up company, shared an office for three years until their boss set up this island research station. Since then, they had lived together on this island. 

In all that time, Jared had never seen Jensen so affectionate and open with anyone the way he was with Misha.

Sure, at first, Jensen seemed to hate Misha. But then, Jared could see him opening up. He saw the little touches, the way Jensen’s eyes lingered on Misha, the way Jensen always seemed to be concerned about Misha’s well-being, the way he gravitated towards Misha every time they were in the same room. 

And then came The Incident, as Jared had decided to call it in his head. First, Jensen willingly went into the water just to help Misha. Then, the way he looked at Misha afterwards was full of affection. And then Jared found them, curled up together in the armchair, fast asleep. 

Jared let them have a day. They were both worn out from helping Sally give birth, and Jared knew that trying to talk to Jensen about anything when he was tired would be a bad idea. 

The next day, Misha was in the tank with Sally and her calf. Jensen and Jared were together in the observation room, working on mapping out migration patterns. 

“Jensen, can I ask you something?” Jared began, looking up at Jensen. 

“Yeah, course.” Jensen put down his pencil and leaned against the table, meeting Jared’s gaze. 

“Are you in love with Misha?” Jared had always favored the direct approach. Jensen spluttered. 

“What?! No. Misha’s a friend.” Jensen turned away, picking up his pen again. “Why would you think I love him?”

“Well, for one, because of this.” Jared showed Jensen the photo he had taken the day before. Jensen blushed darkly at the sight of himself curled up with Misha, fast asleep. 

“That's nothing, I was just really tired, okay?” Jensen rubbed the back of his neck. “I would’ve fallen asleep on top of Sally if I'd been lying on her.”

“Uh huh.” Jared was clearly not convinced. “Okay. What about the fact that you look at him like he’s the reason for your existence. I mean, I’ve never seen you look at anyone the way you look at him.” Jared rested a hand on Jensen’s shoulder, tilting his head to catch Jensen’s eye. “I’m not trying to embarrass you or be mean, Jay. It’s just...if you  _ are  _ in love with Misha, I want to be here for you. I want to help you, the way you helped me with Gen.”

Jensen looked up at Jared, swallowing. 

“So what if I am?” he asked quietly. “You think someone like that is going to go for someone like me? He’s...Misha’s special, Jared. He’s...he’s not going to want to be tied down to someone as mundane as I am.” Jensen’s gaze slid to where Misha was playing with Sally and Olive. Jared followed his gaze, smiling when he saw Misha glance towards them. 

“Misha’s been here for six months, Jensen. He could have left at any time. At the very least, he could have gone to the mainland to visit his people. But he hasn’t been off this island once. And he’s not even being paid to be here. When you passed out a few months ago, he stayed up all night with you to make sure you were okay. He has given up every free day he’s had to help you get back into the water. I may not know him well, but that all sounds like the actions of someone who cares a great deal for you.”

Jensen was about to reply, but was interrupted as Misha entered the room.

“Hey guys,” he greeted. “There’s something I have to check on one of the beaches. I’ll see you at home, Jen.”

“Okay. Bye, Mish.” Jensen smiled at MIsha, who returned the smile with a grin. He stepped closer, brushing Jensen’s hand with his own. 

“See you tomorrow, Jared,” Misha said, pulling away from Jensen. He waved at Jared, then turned and left. As soon as he was gone, Jared turned to Jensen.

“Just...think about it, Jay. I’m not saying you have to ask him to marry you. Just think about it.”

And Jensen did think about it. For the rest of his shift, all he could think about was whether MIsha felt even half of what Jensen felt. 

It wasn’t until the walk home that Jensen made a decision about how he would deal with his feelings. He would have to have an honest conversation with Misha about what he felt and what it meant.

All that went out the window as soon as he walked in the door. Misha was just coming out of his bedroom, looking adorably rumpled in a pair of loose lounge pants (that had belonged to Jensen until about a month ago) and an old t-shirt of unknown origins. Jensen couldn’t take the sight. Not after spending all day thinking about his feelings for Misha.

He closed the distance between them in a few long strides, cupped Misha’s cheeks with both hands, and leaned forward to press his lips against Misha’s. Misha squeaked in surprise, then leaned into Jensen, returning the kiss. His hands landed on Jensen’s chest as he leaned up into the kiss. 

When they finally broke apart, they were both breathing hard. Jensen rested his forehead against Misha’s, wrapping his arms around him and holding him close.

“That was...unexpected,” Misha murmured, smiling widely.

“Was it okay?” Jensen asked, searching Misha’s eyes.

“Duh,” Misha replied. “And if you don’t do it again soon, I’m going to slap you.”

“Don’t have to tell me twice,” Jensen murmured, kissing Misha again.


	14. The Legend

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I disappeared for a couple weeks. Life has been crazy, work has been crazier, and I've had like no time to breathe or think or anything.   
> I'm not super happy with how this chapter came out. Once upon a time I had a really good version of the legend that Misha tells written somewhere but it's gone forever.   
> Hope you enjoy anyway.

After kissing a few more times, Jensen led Misha over to the couch, where he laid down, then pulled Misha down on top of him. Misha smiled, curling up slightly and kissing his jaw.

“Being like this, kissing and everything, that makes us boyfriends, right?” Misha asked, lifting his head to look down at Jensen. Jensen leaned up to kiss Misha’s nose, stroking his hair.

“If you want to be,” he replied after a moment. Misha kissed Jensen’s nose in return.

“I want to be whatever lets us keep doing this.” He snuggled close again, kissing Jensen’s cheek. 

“I wish we could stay like this all night,” he murmured, resting his head on Jensen’s chest. Jensen rested a hand on the back of his head, stroking his hair.

“You have to sleep in water every night though, right?” he asked. Misha nodded slowly, kissing Jensen’s chest.

“Otherwise, I’ll get really sick.” He frowned, pressing closer. “I wish it wasn’t like that. Our stories say it’s a punishment from the gods.”

“Tell me the story?” Jensen asked. The longer he kept Misha talking, the longer they could stay curled up together.

“Okay. It’s kind of long.” Misha shifted, then began to tell the story.

 

_ Long ago, in the early days of man’s time on Earth, there were four siblings, two older brothers and two younger sisters. Their lives were tied to the sea, and they spent most of their times on ships. They were on what should have been an easy trip when a storm hit. Their mother was swept overboard and died, and the siblings were distraught. The oldest and most headstrong of the three, Dmitri, suggested a plan that the other three agreed to. If the gods controlled the storms, then they were the reason the siblings’ mother was dead. So the siblings would go to the gods, and tell the gods that they could either give them their mother back, or be punished. _

_ Dmitri led his siblings into the temple of the gods and issues his demands. He  _ demanded  _ that the gods give them their mother back. The gods laughed in his face. “Gods do not respond to petty demands from  _ humans _ ,” they said, and threw them out. _

_ Dmitri’s siblings wanted to give up then. You can’t argue with the gods, after all. But, blinded by his grief, and never one to back down, Dmitri refused to listen. He would get their mother back no matter what. Bound by love, his siblings agreed to join him. _

_ Dmitri and his siblings armed themselves and stormed the temple, ready to fight. NEedless to say, this did not go over too well with the gods. They defeated the siblings easily, and decided to punish them by splitting them up permanently. The younger brother was turned into a creature of the storms, condemned to spend eternity amongst the clouds, only allowed to see the sun once every decade. The oldest sister was turned into a creature of the ice, condemned to walk the glaciers and ice flows forever, only allowed to feel warmth on the solar eclipse. The gods took pity on the youngest sister. They allowed her to remain human, but punished her with immortal life, so that she must walk the Earth forever alone. Dmitri, the oldest, was turned into a creature of the sea. He was condemned to wander the oceans and waterways of the Earth, never able to stray too far from water or be on dry land for more than a few hours. It is said that once every five-thousand years, a storm will rage so great and powerful that the siblings will be able to reunite. _

_ Dmitri wandered the seas for thousands of years, lonely and filled with guilt. And then he met a woman, and he fell in love. She was beautiful, and his perfect match in every way. They had children together. But they children inherited the curse as well, albeit a watered down version. They were human, and mortal, but they also could not be out of the water for more than a few hours without becoming sick. They passed it on to their children, who passed it on to their children, until over half of the tribe carried the curse. _

_ When Dmitri’s wife and children and grandchildren had all passed on, Dmitri returned to the sea. But now, instead of wandering aimlessly, he patrols the seas of his people’s home, protecting his people from danger and storms. _

 

Misha fell silent, resting his chin on Jensen’s chest to look up at him.

“So you can’t stay out of water because you’re-” Jensen began, trying to process everything.

“Because I’m descended from a dick with no concern for his siblings and a major superiority complex,” Misha finished, making a face.

“Do your people believe the dragon we’ve been seeing is Dmitri?” Jensen asked, stroking Misha’s back.

“That’s the word, yes. I’ve never met him, so I don’t know how much of the story is actually true. Some of the tribe elders say they met him when they were children. Apparently, he’s as narcissistic as he sounds.” Misha climbed off Jensen, rolling his shoulders. “I’m going to bed.”

Jensen frowned, sitting up and taking Misha’s hand.

“Everything okay?” he asked.

“Yeah. Just...tired. And a little homesick, I guess. I’ll see you tomorrow, Jen.” Misha leaned over and kissed Jensen, then disappeared into his bedroom. Jensen watched him go, frowning, then got up to start getting ready for bed as well. Jensen stayed up, wanting to look up what he could find on the local people, when he heard the water shut off in Misha’s room. That was when he heard the sobbing. He frowned, going to Misha’s door and knocking. However, there was no response. Jensen bit his lip, wanting to help, but if Misha wasn’t going to let him in, there wasn’t much he could do. He went back to his own room and resolved to take extra care of Misha the next day.


End file.
